Short circuiting device



Sept. 24, 1940. R BI CUMMlNs 2,216,068

SHORT CIRCUITING vDEVI CE Filed Feb. 16, 1939 Patented Sept. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a short circuiting or cut-out device for use in short circuiting an electrical circuit,

An object of this invention is to provide a short 5 circuiting or cut-out device adapted-to be interposed in an electrical circuit and particularly in an electrical circuit connected to an alarm or signaling box.

l Another object of this invention is to provide a short circuiting or circuit bridging device of this kind which is adapted to be positioned closely adjacent a signal box such as a fire alarm box or the like for the purpose of permitting the short circuiting of the electric circuit leading to the box so as to thereby eliminate the necessity of a repair man climbing a pole in order to bridge the electric circuit so as to permit repair Work being done on the signal apparatus in the box,

A further object of this invention is to provide a short circuiting or cut-out means for a re alarm system or similar electric circuit which will permit the shorting of the electric circuit to the signal device in order to admit removal of the signal device if such removal is necessary to repair the same without requiring the linesman to either climb a pole or to open a manhole cover to cut out the signal circuit to the. box in the manhole cover.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a device of this kind which has a removable and reversible cover for the housing enclosing the bridging means so that when the circuit has been bridged or shorted, the box closure will indicate the condition of the signal device associated therewith.

To the foregoing objects and to others which may hereinafter appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more specifically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a detail front elevation of a short circuiting or cut-out device constructed according to an embodiment of this invention connected to a fire alarm or similar signal device,

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a detail front elevation partly broken away of the device showing the cover or closure in normal position, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary front elevation of the bridging members associated with this device. l' l Referring to the drawing, the character F designates generally a re alarm box or similar signal device which has a pair of conductors I0 and I I connected thereto. The fire alarm box is also provided with the usual closure I3 provided withifmi a glass I2 which is adapted to be broken so as to permit entrance into the supplemental box carrying the usual key for opening the front of the alarm box F to operate the signaling means enclosed in the box.

At the present time where the conductors Ill and II are connected to overhead wires, when the signaling means in the alarm box F gets out of order, it is necessary in order for the repair man to work on the signaling means to climb a 'm pole and connect a bridging or jump wire to the two conductors III and II at the point where the conductors I0 and I I are connected with the pole,

In certain instances, the conductors II) and II extend from the bottom of the alarm box F andv 25 are then connected to underground wires and where this is the case, it is necessary in order to repair the mechanism in the box F for the repair man to enter a manhole and there bridge the conductors I0 and II.

In order, therefore, to provide a means which may be connected to the alarm box F whereby when the signaling means in the ala-rm. box gets out of order, the repair man can easily and quickly bridge the conductors I0 and II, I have` 35 provided a housing generally designated as I4. The housing I4 is provided with a top wall I5, end walls I6 and a bottom wall I'I. A closure plate I8 is mounted on the open front of the housing I4 and a rear wall I9 is formed integral 40 with the -end Walls I6 and the upper and lower Walls I5 and II respectively. The housing I4 is provided with a boss 20 at each front corner thereof and screws or fastening members 2| are threaded into the bosses 20 so as to removably 45 mount the closure or plate I8 on the front of the housing I4. The plate I8 on one face thereof is provided with indicia 22 in the form of a legend Out of order and the opposite face of the plate or closure I8 may be plain or provided with any.50 other indicia.

The housing I4 is provided with a boss or bushing 23 in the central portion of the upper wall I5 thereof in which a conduit 24 is adapted to be threaded. The conductors I0 and. II are 55 adapted to extend through the conduit 24 and the bushing 23 into the housing I4. The bottom wall il is provided with a bushing or boss 25 through which a conduit 26 extends and is secured by nuts 26a and 26h. This conduit 26 may be threaded into the upper wall of the alarm box F and the conductors il) and II are adapted to pass through the conduit 2G into the alarm box F.

The housing Ill is provided on the interior thereof with an insulated plate 2l which is in the present instance secured to the rear wall I9 by fastening members 28 in the form of screws or bolts. The insulating plate 21 has a pair of terminals 29 and S secured thereto in spaced apart relation and the conductors Ii) and I I are adapted to engage the terminals 39 and 29 respectively. A metal bar 3i is secured by a nut 32 to the inner face of the insulating member 27 and a complementary bar 33 is secured to the terminal 30 by a nut 3G. The inner or adjacent ends of the two bars SI and 33 are disposed in spaced apart relation and the inner end of the bar 3i is provided with a socket member 35i. The inner end of the bar 3E is provided with a socket member 35 which is complementary to the socket 3ft and the insulating member 2l is provided with an opening or socket 3E which is in axial alignment with the two socket members 3Q and A short circuiting key member 3T is adapted to be removably mounted in the socket formed by the two socket members 8d and the key member 3'! having a slightly tapered outer surface so that it may be irictionally engaged between the two bars Si and 33. An insulating handle or sleeve 38 is secured to the outer end of the key 3'5 so that this key may be inserted in the socket formed by the two members and 35 without causing a shock to the person inserting the key. The conductor iii is provided with a bared portion 39 within the housing III and this bared portion engages about the terminal 3G. A nut 'IQ is threaded onto the terminal 36 and tightly secures the bared portion 39 about the terminal rlhe conductor II is provided with a bared portion di engaging about the terminal 29 and a nut l2 is threaded onto the terminal 29 and tightly holds the bared portion 4I on the terminal 29.

During the normal use of the iire box or signaling member F the key may be placed loosely within the box or housing Id or if desired may be removed entirely from the housing It. In the event any part of the signaling apparatus in the box or housing E' gets out oi order the circuit formed by the conductors I@ and I I may be easily and quickly short circuited or bridged by removing the closure i8 and inserting the key 3'I in the socket between the ends of the two bars 3| and 83. By short circuiting the circuit to the alarm box with the key 3i, the repair man will not be required to climb a pole and secure a jump wire or bridge member between the two conductors Il) and ii. Where the repair work does not require the removal of any of the signal apparatus the key 3l may be left in the socket formed by the complementary socket members Sil and 35 during the time that the repair man is busy on the repair work of the signal device. However, in the event the repair man is not able to complete the repair of the signal apparatus at the location of the signal member F, the key member S'I may be left in the socket so as to bridge the conductors I0 and I I. In order to provide a means whereby other persons may be given notice that the signal member F is out of order, the closure I8 may be reversed so as to expose the legend 22 on the inner face of the closure I8.

In the drawing, the housing I4 is shown mounted above the signal member F in which position the housing I4 is associated with the housing F where conductors ID and II are connected to overhead wires. Where underground wires are connected to the signal member F the position of the housing IA may be reversed or placed below the signal member F. A short circuiting or bridge member constructed according to this invention may be easily and quickly secured to or connected with a signal member such as a iire alarm or similar signal device without affecting the present parts oi the signal device and when so connected to the signal device, the short circuiting member can easily and quickly be used for the purpose of short circuiting the associated signal device, thus eliminating a considerable amount oi time expended by the repair man climbing the pole or in entering the manhole or underground conduits for the purpose of short circuiting the circuits to the signal device. After the short circuiting member has been installed, it will not be necessary for the workman to carry climbing apparatus to climb the pole in order to repair the signal device.

What I claim is:

An electrical short-out device comprising an upstanding flat supporting plate of non-conducting material formed intermediate its edges with a normally uninterrupted socket, opening at its front face, means carried by the plate for securing its other face against a supporting enclosure for the plate, a pair oi spaced peripherally threaded terminals carried by said pla-te, extending outwardly irom said iront face, located adjacent opposite sides of the said socket and spaced from the edges of the plate, a pair of spaced closely related inner endwise opposed fiat straight bars of conducting material positioned against the front face of said plate and mounted inwardly adjacent their outer ends on and in electrical contact with said terminals, said bars extending throughout in a straight plane common to both, said bars having the central portion oi their inner end edges formed with spaced oppositely disposed semi-circular grooves correlating to provide a normally uninterrupted socket registering at its inner end with the outer end of the said other socket and aligned with said terminals, means mounted on said terminals, bearing against the iront face of bars and coacting with the said terminals and the front face of said plate for securing said bars against said front face of said plate, means coacting with the terminals and with the said other means on said terminals adapted for connecting intermediate portions of the conductors of a circuit electrically to said terminals, and a removable key for extension into said sockets and correlating with the wall of that socket provided by the inner end edges of said bars for electrically bridging the space between the said bars.

ROBERT B. CUMMINS. 

